By Alec Caso and Austin Lee
Volleyball and football are the two biggest draws at the biggest day of the year for Wolverine athletics. Max Heltzer ’11 and Christina Higgins ’11 lead those teams into battle.
Q: What are you doing as a team and individually to prepare for Homecoming?
Higgins: We are working hard every day in practice and we are going to start watching video on the other team to just start knowing what to do against them and knowing how to practice.
Q: Will this game set a pace for the rest of the season?
Higgins: No. The Durango tournament and our other pre-season games have really set the tone for the season. [Dos Pueblos] is not in our division, but they are still a pretty good team. Some of the teams in our league are pretty good this year. We just have to be ready to play and compete at our hardest level with whichever team we play.
Q: How do you expect to perform as a team in the Homecoming game?
Higgins: Well we never say we expect to win the match. We don’t know how each team is going to play that day. We are going to go in confident and we are going to try to perform like we do in practice, but we haven’t done anything really special to prepare for homecoming.
Q: Does Dos Pueblos pose a serious threat to the team?
Higgins: They are pretty good. They have been really good in previous years but they have lost a lot of seniors. I think we are pretty confident.
Q: What are you doing to prepare as a team and individually for homecoming?
Heltzer: First and foremost, our main focus right now is our next game, which is against Chaminade. Once we get past Chaminade, we will prepare as we always do. Coaches will come up with a game plan for both our offense and defense that best matches up against Cathedral. We will work extra hard in practice as a team, and individually, I will spend extra time with my receivers and spend a lot of time watching film on Cathedral’s defense.
Q: Is there any apprehension among the team going into the event?
Heltzer: No, it’s actually the opposite of that. Everybody is always excited for Homecoming, as it’s the single largest school-community event of the year. The entire team, particularly the seniors, always looks forward to Homecoming.
Q: How has the plethora of injured seniors affected the team and will it affect the team going into this game?
Heltzer: All of the injuries, specifically to key players on defense, such as Nicky Firestone ’11 and Kody Greenbaum ’11, and Ethan Neale ’11 on offense, have made it difficult on us as a team. However, a lot of the younger guys have stepped up, and done a great job. Coach Eumont has really helped the younger guys prepare and step into bigger roles. We’re hopeful of getting Nicky Firestone back for Homecoming. It would really be a big boost to our defense, and our team overall. However, if we don’t get him back, the younger guys have improved every week, continue to get better, and I’m sure they will do a great job for us. On the offensive side of the ball, Ethan Neale is coming back, and he’s a key offensive weapon that we have missed the last couple of weeks.
Q: Will this game set a pace for the rest of the season?
Heltzer: If the outcome is successful and we play well as a team, both offensively and defensively, and if I perform well, then it should have a positive effect and build confidence going forward.
